Flipped
by sherrie21
Summary: After sparring with Trunks on a cold morning, Goten finds a girl in the forest and saves her life. As time goes on she becomes a part of the family and develops feelings for her savior—but how could he notice her if she's just a girl? Later on, the feelings begin to switch... Give it a try!
1. Chapter one

**A/N: **This is a re-write about my story "A New Friend"; some of you haven't read it, some of you have. The last one was kind of messy so I decided to summarize it and change it a little. Besides improving grammar (thanks to my friend Kishy), the OC's name is different and the story is not exactly the same. The concept doesn't change anyway.

Give it a try!

**Summary:** After sparring with Trunks on a cold morning, Goten finds a girl in the forest and saves her life. As time goes on she becomes a part of the family and develops feelings for her savior—but how could he notice her if she's just a girl? Later on, the feelings begin to switch...

GotenxOC TrunksxPan

**Goten-24**

**Trunks-25**

On the Son's front yard on a cold December morning, Trunks and Goten were having a spar. The three years since Goku's sudden duck out had flown by, and his departure was still rough for his family and friends—but Chichi was mainly affected. For six months, she could feel herself falling apart. Marked by her one and only mate not only physically and mentally, Chichi needed Goku urgently.

Luckily, the years had come and gone quickly and they all moved on. How? Well, Chichi had gone through it before and was a generally strong person. But the youngest son of Goku fell along with his mother and yet he, too, managed to cope in his own way—he was good at shrugging his pains away.

Back at the Son's front yard an explosion filled the air, illuminating the sky for a split second: Two Kamehamehas had just collided and destruction ensued, but Trunks and Goten didn't seem to notice.

Trunks was teasing Goten from a distance, yelling, "Is that all you got?!"

But then, mere minutes later, there was a loud bang heard not far away.

"Did you feel that?" Goten asked distractedly. There was no time for Trunks to react, however, because his cell phone suddenly began to ring. Landing on the ground, the purple-haired half-Saiyan took it out of his jacket's pocket and threw the jacket uncaringly on the snow.

"Trunks Briefs speaking? Oh— yeah, of course— sorry— I'm on my way," summed up his conversation. Then Trunks looked up, said, "Sorry man, gotta go, work's calling," rose into the air, and flew to his own destiny—Capsule Corp.

Goten was watching his friend leave… when the hair flew up on the back of his neck. It was as though someone was right behind him—no a flickering was behind him… Almost instinctively, he had screamed, "Hello? Does anybody need help?"

Then he remembered what that sensation was: a really low ki.

Dying low, he realized as he walked deeper into the woods. The closer Goten came the more he could hear chattering teeth and feminine whimpers.

"Hello?!" he screamed, this time even louder; he was getting desperate. "I'm trying to help you!"

He heard chattering teeth but just couldn't tell where the noise was coming from. It was so frustrating.

"I'm just trying to help! Clap for me so I can find you!" Goten yelled before silencing to listen. There was a moment of silence, but then he heard a clap. It was a weak one, but it was still a clap. He followed it.

Not long afterwards he found a naked girl sitting on the freezing snow. She was leaning on the trunk of a tree and had brown hair, but that was the only thing he could distinguish. As he came closer, he also noticed her pale skin. It was almost a frozen blue.

Knowing that this situation was dire, he ran towards her while taking his jacket off and placed it on the girl's shoulders upon reaching her. She was shivering violently. Without hesitating he picked the girl up and flew home, carrying her bridal style.

Once he got there he opened the door with a kick and ran quickly up the stairs to Gohan's room. Gently, Goten placed the girl on the bed and tucked her into the blankets—but she was still shivering, so he grabbed more blankets and covered her with them.

He proudly admired his work and thought out loud in a satisfied way, "I think that's more than enough." Goten tiredly placed his hands on his hips and let out a sigh. Only a few moments later, though, he was thinking out loud again, this time saying, "What to do… what to do…"

He walked towards the desk chair next to the bed and sat on it. Finally, he convinced himself that he wanted to 'check' how the girl was doing… but the truth was that he just wanted to see her up close.

* * *

Two hours later, Goten had fallen asleep on the chair after half an hour of waiting for the girl to wake up. When he woke up he opened his eyes and saw that the girl was still sleeping. Standing up, he stretched his limbs and cracked his back, then walked towards the girl and swept back some of the hairs around her face just to get a better look. He noticed some scratches on her rosy cheeks, some bruises on her forehead, and a cut on her lower lip.

"What am I going to do with you?" Goten asked the girl rhetorically.

And that was when she slowly opened her big blue eyes, shocking Goten in the process. He hadn't been expecting her to wake up! He hadn't even been expecting an answer! But he must have surprised the girl, as well, because she let out a gasp and hid in the blankets.

"Hey… it's okay… I'm not going to hurt you…"

The girl wouldn't come out of the blankets, so Goten continued without a response, "What's your name? I'm Goten."

Yet again, he received no response.

"…I have some clothes for you. They might be a bit large but—"

"What do you want from me?" the girl asked abruptly, still under the blankets.

"What do you mean? I don't—"

"What am I doing here?"

"Well, I should ask you the same question," Goten said, then explained, "I found you in the forest and brought you home. You were almost blue..."

"So… you saved my life?" the girl asked softly, at the same time slowly pulling the blankets away from her face.

Goten backed away. "I guess so," he said before repeating, "What's your name?"

At the sound of his question the girl frowned. She glanced at everything and gulped, her blue eyes full of confusion and foreignness. She seemed so lost. After shrugging, the girl said, "I don't know…" She locked her gaze on Goten, her eyes watering, but he just stared at her in confusion.

"Well…" Goten paused for a moment before continuing, as though shrugging off the weirdness of the situation, "Here are some clothes so you can get dressed." He handed over a large hoodie, a pair of boxers, and a pair of socks. "I know it's boy clothes but I can't mess with my mom's closet."

The girl smiled lightly at his innocence before Goten left her alone to dress.

Minutes later the girl tiptoed down the stairs. Once she got to the last step she began exploring the whole household.

"There you are!" Goten said, surprising the girl from behind. She bounced lightly in place as he continued gently, "Do you want something to eat?"

The girl's stomach growled. She looked down at her stomach and blushed, then nodded shyly. "Good. Follow me," he continued with a chuckle, leading her towards the kitchen.

At the kitchen, the girl pulled a chair for herself and Goten prepared a snack. She was nervously tapping her foot on the ground when the phone rang. It had barely started to ring when Goten picked it up.

"Son Goten speaking?" he said. "Oh, hey Trunks… No, not now…" Goten glanced over his shoulder at the girl. "I'm kind of busy right now." He hung up and took a pair of macaroni and cheese plates to the table.

"Bon appétit!" The girl just stared at him shyly.

Both of them devoured their meal in a matter of seconds.

"Wow, you're fast," Goten commented, seeing that her plate was clean.

"It was just… I was hungry…" the girl said with a giggle and a blush. Goten smiled at the cuteness.

"So… Girl," Goten temporarily dubbed her; he couldn't think of a better way, "Do you really not remember your name?"

"I don't know."

"And I guess you don't know where you came from either, right?"

She shook her head. "No…"

"That's weird." Goten paused, then, after a bit of thought, said, "Maybe we could find out with Bulma."

"What's that?" the girl asked, giggling.

"'That' is a woman and she may be able to find out how you got here."

"She can?" the girl asked in awe. Goten nodded proudly.

"Now, what are we going to call you…?" he asked rhetorically, staring at the girl with a concentrated gaze.

"Uh… how do you want to call me?" the girl asked, a bit scared of the way Goten was staring at her.

But before an answer could come out of Goten's lips, they heard the door opening.

"Goten!" Chichi called her son from the entrance, "Goten! Help me put all this food away!"

At the sound of his mother's voice, Goten went to the entrance, leaving the girl awkwardly along. Minutes later, Goten returned to the kitchen with Chichi after explaining what had happened. Anxiously, Chichi came in, leaving the bags on the floor.

"Hey there!" Chichi greeted sweetly.

"Hey," the girl greeted back with a shy smile."

Goten looked at his mother. "Mom, I'm taking her to Bulma's, alright?"

"Oh, sure, go ahead."

Goten went to his room and got some small winter clothes and a huge jacket. After giving them to the girl and waiting for her to put them on, they walked outside. He offered the girl a hand. She just stared at it expressionlessly.

"Hold on tight," Goten commanded, grinning much like his father. The girl, however, just stared at him distrustfully.

"What's going to happen?"

"Just trust me and you'll see," he answered, the same grin marked on his face.

The girl tilted her head, eyes full of doubt.

"Don't you trust me?" Goten asked teasingly, trying not to smile.

"I don't even know you," the girl said, "so how do I know that you won't try to hurt me?"

"Why would I try to hurt someone who I just saved the life of?" Goten asked sourly.

The girl thought about it for a while before smiling and taking Goten's hand. Goten then made her jump to his back. She held on tight, somehow sensing that she needed to, and she was right: Goten rose into the air as fast as a rocket and flew straight to Capsule Corp.

When they were there, Goten knocked at the entrance door three times and was welcomed by "Bony Brief", or Bulma's mom.

"Hello there!" she chirped, squeezing Goten's cheeks as always.

"Hey, Auntie Bony," Goten greeted her as always, her hands still on his face.

"You've grown a lot since the last time I saw you!" she exclaimed excitedly, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yeah… yeah I have… Is Bulma-San here?" Goten asked, trying not to get into conversation.

"Oh sure! She'd be in the lab. Come on in!" she said, letting them both come in—and never noticing the girl standing next to Goten.

After walking down many steps they finally made it to the lab.

"Hey, Bulma-San!" Goten greeted.

"Hey there, Goten-Kun!" Bulma greeted, taking a pair of lab goggles from her eyes. "Come on in!"

"Thanks."

"So," she said, taking out a cigarette and lighting it in her mouth, "what brings you here, kid?"

"Oh, well…" Goten looked at the girl and then at Bulma so that she would get it.

"Hey darling," Bulma greeted the girl.

"Hello," she answered politely.

"What's your name?" Bulma asked kindly.

The girl shrugged. "I don't remember."

Goten looked at Bulma and elaborated, "I found her in the forest. I thought you might know how to get her memory back."

"Oh yeah, sure!" Bulma said as though it was the easiest thing in the world. She led the girl to a big machine. The girl sat down in a chair and Bulma moved the machine to the top of the girl's head.

"Err— Am I going to get hurt?" the girl asked, apparently starting to get scared.

"You don't have to worry, sweetheart. I have everything under control," Bulma said and, at that, she started clicking buttons until there were colored lights inside and outside the bowl on the girl's head.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Goten asked, a bit worried and thinking the lights would electrify the girl.

"She'll be fine, Goten," Bulma assured. "I've done this before."

It didn't last more then ten seconds, after which Goten asked, "How do you feel?" Once the machine was removed he came closer to her.

"I feel dizzy…" the girl said biliously.

"What's your name?" Goten asked again.

"I don't remember…" she said as Goten helped her stand up. "Goten, I feel sick," she said as he held her in his arms as if she was a little girl.

"It didn't work?" Bulma asked, more or less to herself. Her eyebrows were knitted together in a mix of surprise and confusion.

Weakly, the girl whined, "Goten…"

"Bulma, she's not feeling well. Obviously, it didn't work…"

"Go take her to my room and make her feel better," Bulma commanded immediately. "Go!"

And so Goten hurried up the stairs all the way to the mansion attached to the building, the girl pressing her forehead against his shoulder, and when they finally arrived he placed the girl on the bed and said, "Here we are… How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts and I'm dizzy, but fine," she answered.

"Do you want me to bring you some water?" Goten asked softly. The girl replied by nodding, and not long afterwards Goten reappeared with a glass of water in his hands.

"Thanks."

"No problem," Goten said with a smirk. "You'd better rest. Bulma told me you needed to."

"But I'm not tired," the girl protested.

"C'mon… do you want to feel better?"

"…Of course."

"Well, just sleep for a couple of minutes. You'll be fine."

* * *

A few minutes after the girl had totally fallen asleep, Goten told her (but mostly himself), "You need a name." But before he could dwell on this the door opened and in came Trunks.

"Hey, man, Mom told me you were in here." There was a pause and Goten knew that Trunks had noticed the girl. "What is a girl doing on my parent's bed?"

"I found her in the forest," Goten said, "and I think I saved her life."

"And you brought her here _because_…?" Trunks motioned his hands for an explanation.

"She doesn't remember anything about herself. I thought it would be a good idea for Bulma to give me a hand."

"I see…" Trunks still seemed slightly confused. "So what happened?"

"Something went wrong with the machine."

"What do you mean?" asked Trunks, sounding slightly hurt. "I made that…"

Goten shrugged. "Well, maybe it just didn't work this time."

Suddenly Trunks asked, "What's her name?" He was staring at the girl carefully.

"I don't know; she doesn't remember it." Goten glanced at his friend. "I want to give her one. Wanna help?"

Trunks blinked and looked away, muttering, "Geez, sounds like a lot of work. I wouldn't count on me if I were you—"

"Hey guys, watcha doin'?" someone asked out of nowhere. It was Bra.

"Nothing," Trunks said, wanting his sister to leave for no apparent reason.

"Who's that?" Bra asked as soon as she saw the girl on the bed.

Trunks grumbled, "Goten saved her life. Now go away."

"Shut up."

Sensing a fight in the making, Goten quickly cut in by explaining to Bra: "We were just trying to give her a name. She doesn't have a clue about anything. Luckily, she can talk."

After thinking for about two seconds Bra said brightly, "Ooh, I got a cute one." She looked from Goten to Trunks and suggested, "What do you think of Yumiko?"

"Sounds cute on her," Trunks commented—but Goten had a completely different reaction.

"Yumiko?" the other half-Saiyan asked sourly.

Brandishing the puppy-dog face, Bra asked, "Don't you like it?"

How could Goten say no? "It's fine… Yumiko it will be," he finally agreed, sighing.

"My job here is done," Bra said, waving her hand. "See ya guys."

With that, she turned to go back to what she was doing before.

"Whoa," Goten asked, "won't you help me take care of her?"

"Tsk— I'm not a babysitter, Goten. I just work for shopping," Bra said, waving her hand again, but dismissively this time. "Besides, she seems old enough to take care of herself." She told him mockingly before strutting out.

"I can help you, man," Trunks said.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Goten grumbled.

Not long afterwards the girl finally woke up. She opened her big, bright blue eyes and, upon seeing the two men staring at her jumped lightly.

"Hey," Goten greeted softly.

"Where am I…" the newly-dubbed Yumiko questioned.

"You're at Bulma's place. And this is Trunks, her son." Goten presented the lavender-haired boy.

"Hi. Nice to meet you. I'm Trunks."

Yumiko snorted. "Goten already said that."

"Right," Trunks said after a chuckle.

She continued, "I would tell you my name but I don't remember it, so…"

"You know what fits you well? Yumiko. Your eyes scream Yumiko everywhere," Trunks said, trying to flatter her so she accepted the name. It worked, because she blushed.

"You think?"

"Yeah. Right, Goten?"

After realizing Trunks' winking eye Goten finally reacted. "Oh— yeah— yeah, sure. Yumiko fits you perfectly…"

Yumiko said, "It's cute. I like it—"

From downstairs Bulma called on Trunks, who said, "Be right back."

"Am I ever getting my memory back?" Yumiko asked, a bit upset.

"I don't know…" Goten saw her face falling. "But I'm sure you will," he said, trying to fix what he had said with a warm grin.

* * *

After Yumiko met the Briefs siblings Goten took her to her new home.

"I'd rather walk," Yumiko told Goten before climbing on his back.

"But we can't walk; it's a long way home." Goten placed his hands on his hips tiredly.

"But it's too high…" she said nervously. "What if I slip away?"

"Look, Girl," Goten kneeled in front of her to be at her height. "I—"

"I'm Yumiko."

"Yeah, that," Goten muttered. "I won't let you fall. Ever. And if I do, I'll catch you, okay? There's nothing to worry about." He said mildly, catching her falling eyes.

She repeated her name again once he finished: "I'm Yu-mi-ko, okay?"

"I know…"

"Say it," Yumiko insisted.

"Yu…mi…" Goten gave up before he finished it. "I can't say it."

"What do you mean?" she jeered.

"I mean that I can't call you that." He paused, considering her. "You need another name."

"But I like Yumiko…" she mid-whined.

"I know you do… Yuko. That's it. I'm going to call you Yuko."

She snorted. "You just missed a syllable. What's so amazing about that?"

"Well that syllable is what makes your name miserable… so I just took it away," Goten joked.

"But I like Yumiko," she whined again.

Goten rolled his eyes. "Look, this is what we're going to do, okay? Your name will be Yumiko, but I'll call you Yuko. Are you okay with that?"

She shrugged as though realizing that it wasn't very important. Very simply, she agreed with, "Sure."

"Now, Yuko," Goten launched her new nickname. "It's time to go home."

**Hey readers! I hope you enjoyed the first recovered chap! Thanks for reading **

**-Review-**


	2. Chapter two

Weeks passed but still Yuko's memory had not returned, and yet she spent Christmas gratefully. She met most of the Z Gang, getting along well with all of them except for Vegeta. Truthfully, the girl found his darkness terrifying.

"Yumiko, breakfast is ready!" Chichi called from downstairs. It was o'clock, two days before New Year's Eve.

"I'm coming!" Yumiko answered immediately, brushing her wet hair. She had already showered and was now changing into some tight jeans and a rosy cotton sweater. She was getting ready for a shopping day with Bra and Pan for the New Year.

Her brown boots already on, she hopped every step down the stairs.

"Good morning," Yumiko greeted once in the kitchen.

"Hey hun, here's your breakfast." Chichi handed over a plate with pancakes.

Yumiko looked up excitedly and, as she did every morning, said, "Good morning, Goten." She took the seat in front of him with her plate.

"Good morning," Goten said with an innocent grin—but his mouth was full, so it was a bit gross. Yumiko giggled at him.

"Don't you know its bad manners to speak with your mouth full?" Yumiko chastised teasingly.

"Sorry," he said, unwittingly doing it again but this time with the puppy face.

A few minutes later everyone was done with their food. Satisfied, each cleaned their own dishes and afterwards went along their own business. With nothing better to do, Yumiko sat on the couch and turned the TV on.

"What are we going to watch?" Goten asked, suddenly coming in and taking a seat next to Yumiko, who felt like butterflies were inside her stomach as she saw how close he was sitting.

"Well, what do you want to watch?" Yumiko asked politely.

"I don't know… What do you want to watch?" Goten repeated her question.

"I'm not even going to watch TV, I'm just waiting for Bra and Pan."

"I see…" Goten mused. "You've really gotten along with them, haven't you?"

"Yeah… they're nice girls, you know…" Yumiko said, squirming slightly in her seat.

"Yeah… What do you think about Trunks?"

"Oh, well, you know, he's nice to me…"

"You think everyone's nice," Goten grumbled with a snort.

"I don't think anyone's mean either," Yumiko said with a giggle. "Well…" she frowned and thought, then shivered slightly, "except for Vegeta…"

"You think Vegeta's mean?" Goten asked with a silly pout.

"Yeah!" she said without hesitating, her voice growing childishly squeaky for a moment. "He's even more than mean! He scares me!"

"Why?" Goten jeered.

"I don't know… He just does," she said simply. "But why?"

"Why what?"

Yumiko rolled her eyes for half a second, then turned her attention back to Goten. "Why are you asking me all this?"

"Oh," Goten looked a bit confused, as though he had to remember, and then he continued, "…Well, I just wanted to see if you were doing fine here…"

"You did?" Yumiko asked, her face brightening. Goten nodded. "That's so sweet of you… I'm doing great."

"Are you sure?" he asked, a bit worried.

"Positive," Yumiko assured with a smile, her face still pink.

Then, suddenly the phone began to ring.

"I'll get it," Goten said, standing up and answering the call. After a moment it was apparent who was on the phone because he had said, "Hey beautiful…" in a completely different voice than usual. Apparently, he was trying to be charming. Yumiko just rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Goten…" Valese answered on the other side of the phone.

"How are you doing?" the half-Saiyan asked sweetly.

"Fine… Goten, we need to talk…"

"Oh, yeah, sure. I wanted to talk to you about something, too," Goten said, looking absolutely radiant. "How about I pick you up tonight at six?"

"Sounds fine to me," Valese said quietly. "Bye, Goten…"

"Bye, beautiful," Goten began, but she'd already hung up.

Minutes later, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Yumiko said, pushing herself up from the couch and answering the door, where she saw the girls, Bra and Pan and greeted them kindly.

"Ready to go?" Bra asked.

"Yeah, just let me get my coat," Yumiko answered, running up the stairs to retrieve her only coat. She began to stomp hurriedly down the stairs when she decided to call, "Goten, I'm going."

"Sure, just—"

"Yeah?" she asked, turning around as he came up from behind. She could feel his body heat, he was so close…

"Button up, Yuko. I don't want you to get sick before New Year."

"Oh—" Yumiko said, looking down and, before she knew it, Goten was already buttoning up her coat. She then looked back up, admiring his paternity although the other part of her hated it.

"There," Goten said once he'd finished.

"I"ll be back around dinner," Yumiko said with a wave of her hand. She lingered momentarily before finally backing out of the door.

* * *

"This would look wonderful on you!" Bra chirped to Pan as expanded a dress onto her friend's body.

"Bra," Pan said with an exasperated sigh. "Calm down! It's just a dress!" She took her friend's hands away from her body.

"It's not just the dress, Pan! It's the way people see you!" Bra squeaked, then mumbled, "'Specially my brother…"

"Trunks?" Pan asked, her eyes wide. "Pfft— don't be silly!"

"C'mon, Pan"—Bra hung up the dress—"We both know you feel something for him!" The blue-haired half-Saiyan insisted, following her friend as she walked away from her.

Pan turned around very suddenly. "Bra, where's Yumiko?"

Bra blinked and looked around, mumbling, "Uh…"

"Where," Pan began carefully, "is Yumiko?"

"I swear she was behind me!"

"BRA!"

"I'm sorry!" Bra squealed exasperatedly.

"Uncle Goten is gonna kill me for sure!" Pan growled as she massaged her temples.

"Going to kill you? For what?"

The girls jumped. Yumiko had appeared from the dressing room.

"Never do that to—" Bra paused, her eyes suddenly flitting over Yumiko, who was wearing a white dress that was tight around her waist and had a princess cut up to the knee. Bra, now grinning proudly, her previous exasperation forgotten, said, "I told you that it would look gorgeous on you."

"You think it looks gorgeous?"

"Yeah," Pan answered, sounding emotionless yet impressed.

"Then that means we're buying it… right…?" Yumiko asked, a bit cluelessly.

"Of course we are!" Bra answered without hesitation.

* * *

"Valese!" Goten sang as he knocked on his girlfriend's front door. Although his knees were shaking and his hands were sweating, he still managed his usual friendly tone when he said, "It's me, Goten!"

"Hi," Valese greeted, opening the door, her left hand resting lightly on the doorframe.

Goten's face lit up upon seeing her. "Hey."

"Do you want anything to drink?" Valese asked politely, letting him in.

"No, babe, I'm fine. Thank you."

"Oh, okay," Valese said softly.

"So…" Goten said, stretching his limbs. "I wanted to talk to you about something. It's just—"

"Oh…" Valese said again. "Come and take a seat," she said, directing him to the living room, where they sat on the sofa.

They began in unison: "I just wanted—"

"You first," Goten said with a slight snort. Valese nodded.

"Goten," Valese murmured, paused, then took a deep breath, "I just wanted to tell you, Goten… That you're a really good guy — really, you are. And I love you—"

"I love you, too, Valese."

"Yes, I know… But—"

"And you know that I'm disposed to do anything for you—" Goten interrupted.

"Yes, I know that… But—"

"And that's why I wanted to ask you…"

"Oh my God…" Valese whispered beneath her breath, tears already filling her eyes.

"Would you marry me?" Goten asked, opening a little box and revealing a sparkling diamond ring. In front of him was Valese, her eyes wide, tears already running down her cheeks.

"I— Goten, I— I'm really sorry— I…" Valese paused and tucked her slender fingers into her brown tresses. "…I'm not the one for you…"

"W-what do you mean?" Goten stuttered, a smile of disbelief stretching across his face.

"Goten… I mean that I'm not in love with you anymore…"

There was a pause that lasted for what felt like hours, yet it lasted only for seconds. Finally, Goten spoke.

"I should to get going."

"Goten, I'm—"

"Goodbye, Valese."

* * *

A few hours later Bra and Pan finally took Yumiko home and, after helping fit all of her new clothes into the closet, they took leave. Afterwards, Yumiko jumped into her pajamas and walked downstairs to the living room, where Chichi was quietly reading a book. Yumiko decided to greet her quietly.

"Hey, Chichi."

"Hey, sweetheart," Chichi greeted, her voice kind and motherly. "Want to give me some company?" She rubbed the space beside her in a gesture for Yumiko to sit. With a smile, Yumiko did just that.

So they talked. It was a friendly conversation in which they spoke of random things at first and until, somehow, a deep conversation was formed.

"Do you like it here, hun?" Chichi asked finally.

"Yeah," Yumiko answered within seconds, not even having to think twice. "It's really cozy here… and it's nice to be part of, well, things like this."

"You're very welcome here, darling. You're part of the family now," Chichi said, causing Yumiko's face to light up. "You replace someone really important who was part of us before."

"Who was it?"

"My husband," Chichi said with a smile.

"Oh— no, no…" Yumiko whispered, "I don't want to replace anyone…"

"Oh no, darling, don't misunderstand me. You just fill a hole inside our hearts."

"O-our?" Yumiko asked, her heartbeat quickening.

"Yes. Isn't Goten a part of our family, too?" Chichi asked, grinning.

"Oh—" Yumiko murmured, then continued in mid-laugh, "Yeah. Yeah, he is."

* * *

Not long afterwards Goten appeared at the front doorstep and let himself in. His eyes were puffy, and yet he forced himself to act as if everything was perfect.

"Mom!" he called as he began to walk into the living room. There, Goten saw his mother and Yumiko. Yumiko was resting on his mother like a daughter, sleeping peacefully.

Once Chichi noticed her son she placed her pointer finger to her lips and shushed her. She was stroking the girl's hair with one hand and holding a closed book with the other. Chichi seemed satisfied, her eyes full of happiness and love.

Goten was reminded distantly of old times, when Chichi would read bedtime stories to him every night. Pushing the memories out of his mind, he asked, "Do you want me to carry her?" his voice a hushed whisper.

Chichi nodded in agreement, so he carried her up to her room bridal style, Yumiko huddled in his chest. Upon reaching the room he gently placed her on the bed, covering her in blankets and tucking her in. For a moment Goten stared at her, an unwitting grin appearing on his face — and yet, just as suddenly, tears began to fill his eyes. In seconds, he was sobbing quietly, trying his best not to wake the girl.

But, unluckily for Goten, Yumiko awoke to the sound of his quiet agonies. Without him noticing, her big, blue eyes opened.

"Goten?" she asked, quietly yet worriedly, her eyebrows knitted together.

"Yuko," he said with surprise. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was…" Yumiko murmured. "Goten, is everything okay?"

"Yeah… yeah," Goten said with a fake smile, not wanting to worry her.

"Goten…" she pressed softly, looking straight into his eyes.

"No," he said finally, "nothing is okay. " Sorrowfully, he took a seat on the side of the bed and murmured, "Yuko, she said no…"

"Oh, Goten…" she said, hugging him and rubbing his back. "She wasn't worth it, anyway.

"…Yes she was," Goten disagreed quietly.

"Look," Yumiko said, pulling out of their embrace so she could catch his falling eyes, "no woman is worth it if she leaves you, got it?"

Goten just snorted.

"I'm serious and I mean it," Yumiko insisted.

"I know… it's just… I love her…"

Yumiko sighed at his answer, thought for a few moments, and then said carefully; "I once heard that if you love something, you should let it free. If it comes back to you, you can keep it. But if it doesn't, then it was just never meant to be." She paused before adding, "It's not that hard."

"You're a smart little girl. Has anyone ever told you that?" Goten asked, rubbing his fist on the top of her head playfully.

Yumiko giggled and held his arm at bay. "How old do you think I am?" she asked.

"I don't know… 11? Maybe 9?" Goten teased.

"Hey!" Yumiko pushed his shoulder and pouted. "Bulma says I'm at least thirteen!"

"Close enough…"

"Well, how old are you? 40?" Yumiko teased.

"Okay kiddo, bedtime," Goten said, covering her head with the covers. "Night, Yuko."

"Night, Granny," Yumiko teased one last time before Goten turned out the lights with a snort.


	3. Chapter three

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with Dragon Ball Z only a few characters and the ideas!**

* * *

**Thank you so much Kishy!**

* * *

It was a few hours before New Year's Eve, and everyone was excited. While Bulma decorated all of Capsule Corp for the event, Chichi prepared the food at the Briefs' household, leaving Goten and Yumiko home alone.

Of course, the morning wasn't _as_ peaceful as Goten had thought it would be.

"Yuko!" Goten called, having not found her in her bedroom. "Where are you?"

That was when he heard the sound of glass shattering on the floor. Rushing to the kitchen, he soon saw Yumiko kneeled on the floor, surrounded by glass and food, and holding her wrist tightly.

"Yuko," he said, running towards her, "are you okay?"

"Yeah… It's just… my wrist hurts, that's all."

"Are you sure?" Goten asked, frowning in concern. "Let me see—"

"No," Yumiko said, and moved her wrist away before he could see it. "I'm fine."

"_C'mon_, let me see," Goten insisted, then snatched her arm.

"Ow!" she whined in pain.

"Sorry—" Goten's eyes widened and, furiously, he continued, "Yuko, what is this?!"

"I don't know. I—"

"You tattooed yourself?!"

Sure enough, there were seven black stars printed on the girl's wrist.

"Yuko, you're just thirteen!" Goten chastised furiously. "You won't go out with Pan or Bra anymore! You don't know how dangerous this is—"

"It's _not_ a tattoo, Goten!" Yumiko interrupted angrily, her eyes growing teary. "I already had it. I don't know how, but I did… and it started hurting yesterday… and it shines sometimes." She paused, and then spoke again before Goten could get in another word. "I need cold water."

So Goten led Yumiko to the kitchen sink and turned the tap on. He tried to help her put her wrist in the water, but Yumiko just frowned and refused, saying, "I can do it myself."

A few seconds later, Yumiko finally removed her wrist from the water and turned off the tap. She turned around and, to her surprise, saw that Goten was still behind her.

"…Are you mad?" Goten asked.

"No," she answered, though there was still a frown on her face.

"You seem mad," he stated simply.

"…I'm not happy, either," Yumiko said. She crossed her arms and slid into a sit, propped on the cabinet. Goten sat next to her.

"Well, mad or not, I'm sorry."

"It's okay… you worried for me," she said, "and that was cute. It made me feel like part of the family." Then she gasped, feeling Goten put an arm around her shoulders, and blushed.

After that, Goten remained quiet and still, provoking a comfortable silence between the two friends. After awhile of sitting on the floor with their backs resting against the doors of a kitchen cabinet, they started joking and talking.

"What are you wearing tonight?" Goten asked.

"A white dress that Bra bought for me." Yumiko answered, pausing and then abruptly adding, "It's really… cute."

Goten, having seen her reaction, asked, "You sure?"

"Well…" Considering it, she nodded her head from left to right. "Something like that. I hate dresses, but this one is the only exception."

Goten chuckled. "Yeah, and you better wear it. You don't want to see a disappointed Bra."

"…How are you doing?" Yumiko asked, a few minutes later.

"What do you mean?"

"You know… about Valese and…"

"Oh," Goten said before sighing. "I'm great, you know. Bra showed me a friend of hers."

"A friend?" Yumiko asked softly, feeling a pang in her heart.

"Yeah… her name is Alyssa. She's coming to the New Year's thing," Goten stated simply.

"Oh. Is she pretty?"

Goten shrugged. "I guess."

* * *

"Bra, I don't know if makeup will look good on me… I've never worn makeup before…" Yumiko warned anxiously before Bra could add powder to her skin.

"Nonsense, kid," Bra answered idly. "You're beautiful, and you'll be even _more_ beautiful with makeup. Trust me."

At that, Bra added powder, and then a light pink blush. With the basics on, it was time for the mascara and the eyeliner, which was carefully applied around Yumiko's blue eyes. Last but not least, Bra added red to the thirteen year old's lips.

When Bra announced that she was done, Yumiko found that she was afraid to look at herself in the mirror.

What if she didn't like it? Then she'd have no other choice but to go like that.

But when she saw herself in the boudoir, her anxiety sank away, and after staring at herself for at least a minute, Yumiko finally said one word: "Wow."

"Do you like it?" Bra asked, or more so bragged, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah!" Yumiko said, admiring the wonderful job that Bra did and barely able to believe that the reflection in the mirror was her own. "You're a genius!"

"Do you like it?" Bra asked, or more like bragged, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah! You're a genius!" she said as she admired the wonderful job Bra did. She couldn't believe it was she.

"I _know_, right?" Bra answered proudly. "Well, it's time for me to leave, or I won't make it to the party. See you there!"

After the other girl also said farewell, Bra left, and, at that, Yumiko jumped into her white dress and zipped it on. She slid her slim legs into her new black tights, and then put on her mid-high black shoes on. Next, she put on a couple of bracelets on her wrist, trying her best to hide the stars, and hooked on some single pearl earrings that matched her necklace, which she couldn't put on by herself. As a final touch, she sprayed a bit of vanilla perfume onto herself, and went started down stairs with the necklace.

* * *

Meanwhile, Goten was downstairs in the hallway, fixing his tie and looking at himself in the mirror.

"Yuko!" he said once he'd finished. "Are you ready?"

The girl appeared at the top of the stairs. "Yes, I am," she answered shyly, her white pearl necklace hanging from her hand. Goten glanced at her, took a double-take, and then just stared, speechless and stunned as Yumiko continued down the stairs, trying not to smile when she saw Goten's expression. Yumiko stopped at the penultimate step so that she could be at eye level with him.

"Could you put this on me?"

But Goten wasn't answering, prompting Yumiko to snap her fingers and say, "_Goten_."

"Uh— What?"

"Can you put this necklace on me?"

"Oh… sure," Goten answered.

Yumiko turned around and lifted her heavy, curled hair up, unable to remove the smile on her face.

"There," Goten said when he finally hooked the necklace.

"Thanks." Yumiko turned around.

"Y-you look nice…"

"Thanks… You don't look bad, either," Yumiko complimented shyly.

"Thanks," Goten said with a smirk, fixing his black suit.

Yumiko reached over and tightened his patterned tie, just a bit.

"Thanks, again," he chuckled.

The two friends stared into each other's eyes, sharing smiles.

"Uh— we should get going," Yumiko interrupted suddenly.

"Indeed," Goten concurred. "Where's your jacket?"

"Right on the rack," Yumiko said, making her way towards it and putting it on.

And, at that, that took off to Capsule Corp.

* * *

Everyone was there, plus a crowd of important people Bulma invited. It was more like a waltz, or a wedding party, because everyone was fancy and elegant. There was a dance floor in the middle of the room, with tables around it. At one table, the youngest members of the Z gang gathered: Bra, Pan, Goten, Trunks, Marron, and, of course, Yumiko.

Alyssa, Goten's date, appeared a few minutes later. She was a brunette, with hazel eyes and pale skin. She was clearly pretty.

Soon after they met each other, Alyssa and Goten began to talk and get to know each other better. As they talked, Yumiko would glance at them. She would tighten her lips in jealousy and yet disappointment, as well. Then, to her surprise, Alyssa grabbed Goten's hand and began walking away with him. Yumiko followed them with her eyes. She even stretched her neck until she couldn't see them anymore.

Yumiko turned in her seat so that she was sitting normally again, glancing at everyone around her. She glanced at everyone around her, and caught a worried Trunks staring at her. The lavender-haired demi-Saiyan motioned his head, meaning to do what she thought the best. With a comprehensive look, Yumiko nodded once and stood to leave her seat.

"Where are you going?" Bra asked.

"Uh…" Her brain worked to make up an excuse. "It's just… a really need to pee." Playing the part, she lightly jumped in her place.

"Oh… The bathroom is at the end of the hallway to the right."

"Okay, thanks!" Yumiko said, and took off quickly.

After walking where she thought that Goten and Alyssa had gone, Yumiko finally found the couple outside. Alyssa was sitting beside Goten on a wooden bench, and Goten had wrapped an arm around her. It was 11:59, and everyone was doing a countdown in unison with the radio.

Then there were ten seconds left, and every second, Alyssa leaned closer to Goten. Yumiko's eyes were now watery, and she was making a futile effort to keep the tears from coming down.

The fireworks started to draw on the starry sky, but Yumiko, too distracted to notice them, saw something that she wasn't supposed to see: a new year's kiss. But it was between Alyssa and Goten, and that was what broke Yumiko's heart.

Aimlessly, desperately, she ran all the way to the front yard.

* * *

It had been half an hour, and yet Yumiko was still sobbing hard. She wondered why she was crying, but she didn't know. She just knew that she didn't feel good inside.

Then she saw a glass bottle flying through the air, airborne until gravity won and lead it to the ground. It broke. Yumiko heard drunken agonies that were peculiar and familiar, too.

Standing up and holding her head high, she whipped the tears away from her cheeks, and carefully walked around the Capsule Corp's building, searching for the person. Not far away, she discovered a man. He was sitting on the snow, leaning back on the building's wall.

"Who needs you, Valese?!" he screamed at nothing. Carefully, Yumiko walked towards him.

"…_Goten_? Goten, are you okay?"

"Do I seem to be okay, little girl?"

"Well I—"

"Life can be rough sometimes… and how to fix that?" He swallowed some beer from the many bottles around him, then stopped to laugh huskily. "Drinking!"

"Goten," Yumiko began, trying to snatch the bottle of beer from his hands.

"Kids are not allowed to touch this! This is MINE!"

"Please, Goten! This doesn't do you any well!"

"I know this girl… her name is Yuko…" he said abruptly, and Yumiko's eyes grew wide. "…Well her name is Yumiko but that name sounds like food," he laughed huskily, "so I call her Yuko."

"What about her?" Yumiko asked curiously, yet a little frightfully.

"I don't know… I just met her and she's, like, taking my place in my family, dude…"

"Goten…" she murmured, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"She's so immature sometimes. Whiny and bossy too…" Yumiko let the tears come down her face. "But she's now _MY_ little sister! And if you ever _dare_ to touch her… I swear you'll pay!" he said angrily, drinking more beer and then throwing the bottle to the air. Abruptly and sharply, he cried, "I need Valese…" and fainted on the snow.

"Goten…" Yumiko shook his shoulder. "Wake up Goten," she sighed roughly and began to think.

She had no better idea but to take him inside, herself, so she grabbed his ankles and dragged him inside to an empty and quiet room inside: the kitchen.

She left him lying on the ground and she sat beside him. Then, suddenly, Yumiko felt a stare on her. Exploring the room, she finally found who she was looking for. She caught Vegeta's glare locked on her, and jumped lightly in her place.

"Konnichiwa, Vegeta-san…" Yumiko greeted shyly.

"What are you brats doing here?"

"I found Goten like this outside… so I brought him here…"

Vegeta humphed. "Right," he said sarcastically and then left. A few seconds later, Bulma came in.

"What happened?" Bulma asked, seeing Goten on the ground.

"I found him sleeping outside… What should we do?"

"I bet he was drinking. He has gone through this before and he always does the same!" Bulma said. "I'll make some coffee and you'll give it to him, okay? I need to the entertain guests."

"Sure," Yumiko agreed. A few minutes later, she had received the cup of coffee and was lightly pouring it into Goten's mouth. It didn't take more than ten seconds for Goten to react, coughing and sputtering.

"Are you okay?" Yumiko asked worriedly.

"I am," Goten said through his coughs. "What are we doing in the kitchen?"

"You passed out… because you were too drunk I guess," Yumiko said with a shy and humorless chuckle.

"You saw me drunk?" Goten asked, humiliated. Yumiko nodded simply. "…What did I do?"

"You know… throwing bottles of beer, talking about Valese… about me…" she said, muttering the last part.

"Did I hurt you? Are you okay?" Goten asked, worriedly inspecting her arm for injuries.

"I'm fine. Don't worry," Yumiko said with a light smile, freeing her arm from him.

"Yuko…"

"Yes?"

"…What did I say about you?"

Yumiko giggled. "You said my name sounds like food."

"I did?" Goten asked, ashamed of himself and resting his head on his hand.

"Yeah," Yumiko said, giggling. "Uh… you also said I was, like, taking your space in your family… and that I was so bossy, immature and whiney sometimes…" she added, her face lowering slowly.

"Oh… Yuko— I didn't mean any of it… I'm so—"

"And," she interrupted, "you also said that I was YOUR little sister… and that if someone ever tried to touch me you swore they'd pay…"

"I said that?" Goten asked with a smirk.

"You did," Yumiko said with a smile. "It was… cute."

"Yeah…" he said, though he still blushed shamefully.

"Happy New Year, by the way," Yumiko said quickly, avoiding an upcoming awkward silence.

Goten grinned and hugged her. "Happy New Year, Yuko."


End file.
